Internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines, gasoline engines, gaseous fuel-powered engines, and other engines known in the art, exhaust a complex mixture of components into the environment. These components may include nitrogen oxides (NOx), such as NO and NO2. Due to an increased focus on avoiding environmental pollution, exhaust emission standards are becoming more stringent, and in some instances, the amount of NOx emitted from engines may be regulated depending on engine size, engine class, and/or engine type. To ensure compliance with the regulation of these components, as well as reduce environmental effects, some engine manufacturers implement a strategy called Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR). SCR is a process where gaseous and/or liquid reductant, most commonly urea ((NH2)2CO), is selectively added to engine exhaust using one or more nozzles. The injected reductant decomposes into ammonia (NH3), reacts with the NOx in the exhaust, and forms water (H2O) and diatomic nitrogen (N2).
U.S. Pat. No. 8,356,473 to Blomquist, issued on Jan. 22, 2013 (hereinafter referred to as the '473 reference), describes an injection device having a first conduit for supplying compressed gas, and a second conduit arranged on the outside of the second conduit for supplying a liquid agent. At least one hole extends between the first conduit and the second conduit. As discussed in the '473 reference, liquid agent flows through the at least one hole into the compressed air. The liquid agent is atomized by the compressed gas, mixed with the compressed gas, and transported through an outlet of the injection device for dispersion into an exhaust line.
While the injection device of the '473 reference may attempt to increase the atomization of the liquid agent, the operation of the injection device may be suboptimal. For example, the injection device described in the '473 reference is relatively small in size, and due to low turbulence and mixing features, effective mixing of the liquid agent may be difficult to achieve. Further, the '473 reference describes an injection device having multiple distinct and assembled parts, and such a device configuration may increase the size, complexity, assembly time, and/or manufacturing cost of the nozzle. Such multi-part devices are also often difficult to clean and may become clogged easily.
Example embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward overcoming one or more of the deficiencies described above.